Russia ‘ready’ for better relations with Obama: Medvedev

Moscow, Nov 7 (DPA) President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday Russia was ready for better relations with US president-elect Barack Obama, one day after a speech that seemed to be a direct challenge to the next US leader.The comments came after Medvedev said in his first-state-of-the-nation that he would deploy Iskander missiles in Russia’s European enclave of Kaliningrad to “neutralize” US missile shield plans.

“We hope that the new president of the United States will be a successful president, who will be capable of building the correct image for his country in both internal and foreign affairs,” Medvedev told a news conference Thursday. “A president who can build a strong base in relations between Russia and the United States.”

“Russia is ready for this,” he added.

Obama was also not mentioned by name in Wednesday’s speech with Medvedev only sending curt official congratulations by telegram after the confrontational address and long after US elections results were called.

Medvdev seemed to indicate that Russia would play hardball with the new administration.

He added that Russia’s navy and an electronic-jamming radar would also supplement the missile installations in countering the planned US missile elements to be set up in Poland and the Czech Republic.

He also blamed the US for spreading the global financial crisis and for provoking Russia’s recent war with US-ally Georgia.